COLUMBUS – In anticipation of increased traffic during the Thanksgiving holiday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to buckle up, never drive impaired and always follow traffic laws.
Last year during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, nine people were killed in nine fatal crashes on Ohio’s roadways. Five of those fatalities were the result of an impaired driver and six were unbuckled. To promote traffic safety, troopers will have an increased presence on Ohio’s roadways to remove impaired drivers.
AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 3.3 percent increase over last year. The 2017 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005 with 1.6 million more people taking to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year. Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year.
“It’s simple – safety belts save lives and reduce injury in crashes,” Colonel Paul A. Pride, Patrol Superintendent said. “It is the easiest and most effective action you can take to protect yourself, your family and friends.”
The 2017 Thanksgiving Holiday reporting period begins Wednesday, November 22 at 12 a.m. and ends Sunday, November 26 at 11:59 p.m. Motorists are encouraged to report impaired drivers and drug activity by calling the Patrol at #677.